Damage assessment from Lee continues as new storm threatens

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency continues to receive damage reports from the effects of Tropical Storm Lee.

And, a new tropical storm has formed in the Gulf and warnings have already been issued. It could become a hurricane as early as tomorrow.

So far, 30 counties have reported damages ranging from minor to major due to Lee. The storm is also blamed for at least one death in North Mississippi.

The following counties are reporting damage:

• Adams: Damage to trees and power lines throughout the county.

• Copiah: One home with major damage and 8 homes with minor damage. One public building and four public roads damaged.

• Covington: Some homes and trees with minor impacts.

• Forrest: One home with major damage. Trees down in several locations.

• Hancock: One mobile home destroyed. Around 60 or 70 roads were flooded during the storm, but 95 percent of structures in those areas were elevated.

• Harrison: One home with minor damage. Three public roads with minor damage. One public building with minor damage. County is monitoring local river levels.

• Hinds: Fifteen homes and 60 apartment units affected by floodwaters. Two public roads with minor damage. Two culverts in the county damaged.

• Jackson: Eleven homes with minor damage.

• Jefferson Davis: Some roads and trees impacted.

• Jones: Some trees down throughout the county.

• Lamar: Some homes and roads impacted by flooding

• Lawrence: At least one road and bridge impacted by flooding.

• Leake: Four homes and mobile homes with minor damage. Fourteen public roads damaged, six of those sustaining major damage. Two public bridges with major damage.

• Lee: Some trees down throughout the county.

• Lincoln: Several roads impacted by flooding.

• Lowndes: Some minor tree damage throughout county.

• Madison: Several homes affected by flooding.

• Marion: Some homes and trees with minor impacts.

• Neshoba: Thirty-five roads damaged, five of those completely washed out. One public bridge with major damage. One public bridge with minor damage. Sixteen culverts washed out. One business with major damage. One church cemetery damaged. Two dams on private ponds destroyed.

• Noxubee: Minor impacts to some roads.

• Pearl River: At least one home with damage.

• Pike: A few roads impacted by flooding.

• Prentiss: At least one mobile home damaged.

• Rankin: Several roads impacted by flooding.

• Scott: Flash flooding countywide.

• Simpson: One mobile home destroyed. Seven homes and mobile homes with minor damage. One public road destroyed. Six public roads with minor damage. Three public bridges with major damage.

• Stone: One injury. Two mobile homes destroyed. Seven homes and mobile homes with minor damage. Seven public roads with minor damage. One business with minor damage.

• Tishomingo: One death due to drowning.

• Wilkinson: Several roads flooded.

• Winston: Some roads minor impacts.

Counties continue to conduct detailed damage assessments.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Nate has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, and authorities have issued a tropical storm warning for parts of Mexico’s coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Nate could become a hurricane by tomorrow. The storm was nearly stationary last night, moving east at about two miles per hour. Nate is expected to move very little today, and then it will start to move north by tomorrow.

Nate’s maximum sustained winds were at 45 miles per hour yesterday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Maria was swirling in the western Atlantic. A tropical storm watch was issued for the Leeward Islands including Antigua and Montserrat.

Hurricane Katia also continued to blow as a Category 1 storm in the Atlantic and was not expected to hit land. However, it was pushing large swells to the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda.